Does suboxone help with pain? I was on demerol for 10 yrs and then added oxycotin for the last 6 yrs. I wasn't sure they were working anymore. I had a fusion in 87 and now have additional herniated discs as well as other issues. I had a lot going on in my personal life and had sank into a deep depression. I thought the meds had something to do with that as well. I never abused them. I took them as prescribed. I went to a clinic in California and detoxed off of them. I am now on suboxone and Lyrica. I am having some wicked side effects from the Lyrica. A few have gone away, so I am going to stick with it for awhile longer to see if some of the others will go away too. I have been taking the suboxone, 8 mgs 2x per day. My pain doc here is now cutting me down to 6mgs 2x per day. I plan to wean myself off them entirely because I don't feel as if they're helping me with my pain at all. The Lyrica may be helping a little with the nerve pain I get, but every muscle in my body hurts. I really don't know what to do. I've read several posts and I'm truly wondering if there is any hope at all. I know I'll never be pain free until I'm dead, but I would be happy with being able to function and do some things I enjoy. I would like to be able to do these things without taking opiods, but I'm beginning to think that's not realistic. Does anyone out there know of any kind of treatment or therapy that has worked for severe back pain? I would appreciate any advice.

Suboxone is used to detox from opiates. That is its real purposes. I have heard that some PM Dr's are using it for pain but from what I have heard, its not very effective in treating pain. Its also very hard to come off of so take it super slow. even though your on 16 mgs it doesn't seem like a high dose but it actually is very high so make sure your Dr helps you taper off it. It will be awhile before you can jump off it all together, but yah everyone says its not a great pain medication. I am sorry your having to use it to get off opiates but I hope it helps you. its terrible to live in pain, and I hope there is something else that can work for your pain since its not helping much..
Lyrica is good for helping nerve pain for some people. I took it for about a year and it just gave me way to many side effects and I found that my nerve pain went away so it wasn't needed anymore and it cost me a ton of money. I never felt good on that medication, it blurred my vision and made me stumble really bad and forget things. Maybe your Dr can find a more milder pain reliever for you vs Demerol. I didn't know that was something one could take on a daily basis. I always though it was only given in a shot or IV formula while in the hospital so that is a new one to me, does it even come in a pill formula? Its very stong stuff for sure. I take Morphine MS Contin and find it to be really helpful for my pain and its not very sedating once you get used to it. I also have very few side effects from it, maybe that is something you could look into. I take the Long Acting version so I don't have to take pills all day long as one pill holds me for about 8 hours.

Cheyenne:
Can I ask why exactly you decided to detox off the medications that you were taking? Was it your doctor that wanted you off of them or did you have a family member or friend making you feel guilty or were they just not helping the pain that much?

I have heard that Suboxone is not a very good pain reliever and it is better at getting addicts off of opiates that they are addicted to. I think that you would definitely qualify for a pain pump. Usually morphine is put in them but there can be other medications such as Dilaudid or even Neurontin that can be put in the pump. It is implanted in your body and a catheter goes into the intrathecal space in your spine. The amount of actual opiate medication is so much less than if you took them orally. You might want to ask your PM doc about it. If he does not implant them then ask to be referred to a PM doc that does do them.

Cheyenne:
Can I ask why exactly you decided to detox off the medications that you were taking? Was it your doctor that wanted you off of them or did you have a family member or friend making you feel guilty or were they just not helping the pain that much?

I have heard that Suboxone is not a very good pain reliever and it is better at getting addicts off of opiates that they are addicted to. I think that you would definitely qualify for a pain pump. Usually morphine is put in them but there can be other medications such as Dilaudid or even Neurontin that can be put in the pump. It is implanted in your body and a catheter goes into the intrathecal space in your spine. The amount of actual opiate medication is so much less than if you took them orally. You might want to ask your PM doc about it. If he does not implant them then ask to be referred to a PM doc that does do them.

brian

Hi Brian,

Thanks for taking the time to answer. I decided to get off the pain killers cause I wasn't sure they were helping me like they should. When I went from 20 mgs to 40 mgs of oxycotin I didn't see that much improvement. After being on demerol for 10 yrs and oxy for 6, I was up to 100 mgs of demerol and 40 mgs of oxy 6x each per day. I'm 51 and if I live another 20 years how much more can I increase as my pain increases? I fell into a deep depression due to this and due to personal reasons. For the last 3 yrs I've been taking care of my elderly parents 88 & 87, which has been difficult. (it's a long boring story...even to me...lol) Anyway, it was the depression and the dose of meds I was taking that made me decide to try another route. But this one isn't working well at all. I'm in a lot worse shape physically then I was before I went to California. Now on top of the back pain, pain that shoots down my legs and my legs going numb on and off, every muscle in my arms, legs, back and neck hurt all the time. It says that muscle pain is a side effect from Lyrica, but it didn't start until a week after I got home, where as the other sides like fatigue, double vision, confusion, etc., that I had happened immediately. All but fatigue went away. So, I'm not sure exactly what's causing the muscle pain. I like your suggestion about the pain pump. I'm going to talk to my pain doc next month when I go for my appointment. I'm desperate to find something that will allow me to function without trying not to cry from pain. Thanks again for writing and for the advice.....Cheyenne

Suboxone is used to detox from opiates. That is its real purposes. I have heard that some PM Dr's are using it for pain but from what I have heard, its not very effective in treating pain. Its also very hard to come off of so take it super slow. even though your on 16 mgs it doesn't seem like a high dose but it actually is very high so make sure your Dr helps you taper off it. It will be awhile before you can jump off it all together, but yah everyone says its not a great pain medication. I am sorry your having to use it to get off opiates but I hope it helps you. its terrible to live in pain, and I hope there is something else that can work for your pain since its not helping much..
Lyrica is good for helping nerve pain for some people. I took it for about a year and it just gave me way to many side effects and I found that my nerve pain went away so it wasn't needed anymore and it cost me a ton of money. I never felt good on that medication, it blurred my vision and made me stumble really bad and forget things. Maybe your Dr can find a more milder pain reliever for you vs Demerol. I didn't know that was something one could take on a daily basis. I always though it was only given in a shot or IV formula while in the hospital so that is a new one to me, does it even come in a pill formula? Its very stong stuff for sure. I take Morphine MS Contin and find it to be really helpful for my pain and its not very sedating once you get used to it. I also have very few side effects from it, maybe that is something you could look into. I take the Long Acting version so I don't have to take pills all day long as one pill holds me for about 8 hours.

good luck, SS

SS

Hi SS,

Thanks to you as well for taking the time to write. I just answered Brian, so I'll try not to repeat myself too much. Yeah, demerol does come in pill form. In the beginning I onl took 2, 50 mg tabs twice a day. The lyrica gave me really bad sides as well. The first time I took it they gave me 50 mgs before bed. I woke up with double vision, didn't know where I was and walked into the wall and knocked 2 pics off it. Now I take 50 mgs before bed and 25 mgs in the morning and at lunch. I'm just starting down this road for pain management but I have my doubts on how successful it's going to be. I'm going to ask my pain doc about what you're taking as well as asking him about the pain pump. I'm glad to hear you found something that's helping your pain. I need to find out exactly what's causing all my muscle pain. I hope it is just a side from the lyrica and not something new. Thanks again for writing and for the advice. I wish you continued success with your pain management! .....Cheyene

Suboxone works wonderful for pain when taken is smaller doses more often, like 2-4 mgs every 4 hours. I usually take 8 mgs every 8 hours but on bad pain days I take 4mgs every 4 hours. And Suboxone has been the best pain killers I've ever tried, and I've tried them all. Right now they're doing clinical tests on a patch with Bupernorphine (which is the main ingredient in Suboxone) for chronic pain. Bupernorphine is a pain killer thats been used for many years for pain, and the naloxone in the Suboxone is not activated when taken right, it's only in there to stop people from abusing and to stop people from getting a tolerence. Right now they're also making morphine and oxycodone mixed with naloxone/naltrexone to stop abuse and to help tolerence. Well Suboxone has been a life saver for me, and I suffer from chronic lower back pain from falling down cement stairs on my behind and I was in 2 really bad car accidents (one that rolled down a hill and the other I was rear ended by someone going over 50mph) and I also have fibro pain and choronic pancreatitas from pancreatic divisum and migrianes, so I need narcotic pain meds and suboxone is great for it for me. thanks for reading.

Suboxone works wonderful for pain when taken is smaller doses more often, like 2-4 mgs every 4 hours. I usually take 8 mgs every 8 hours but on bad pain days I take 4mgs every 4 hours. And Suboxone has been the best pain killers I've ever tried, and I've tried them all. Right now they're doing clinical tests on a patch with Bupernorphine (which is the main ingredient in Suboxone) for chronic pain. Bupernorphine is a pain killer thats been used for many years for pain, and the naloxone in the Suboxone is not activated when taken right, it's only in there to stop people from abusing and to stop people from getting a tolerence. Right now they're also making morphine and oxycodone mixed with naloxone/naltrexone to stop abuse and to help tolerence. Well Suboxone has been a life saver for me, and I suffer from chronic lower back pain from falling down cement stairs on my behind and I was in 2 really bad car accidents (one that rolled down a hill and the other I was rear ended by someone going over 50mph) and I also have fibro pain and choronic pancreatitas from pancreatic divisum and migrianes, so I need narcotic pain meds and suboxone is great for it for me. thanks for reading.

-lovemydegus

Thank you for taking the time to answer. I'm going to print this out and bring it to my pain doc. We're going to have to experiment around with stuff until we find something that works. I appreciate the advice and I'm glad you have something that's working for you. My problem was caused by someone that hit me while I was walking. It's amazing how one's life can be changed in a split second. Thanks again! Cheyenne

Thanks for taking the time to answer. I decided to get off the pain killers cause I wasn't sure they were helping me like they should. When I went from 20 mgs to 40 mgs of oxycotin I didn't see that much improvement. After being on demerol for 10 yrs and oxy for 6, I was up to 100 mgs of demerol and 40 mgs of oxy 6x each per day. I'm 51 and if I live another 20 years how much more can I increase as my pain increases? I fell into a deep depression due to this and due to personal reasons. For the last 3 yrs I've been taking care of my elderly parents 88 & 87, which has been difficult. (it's a long boring story...even to me...lol) Anyway, it was the depression and the dose of meds I was taking that made me decide to try another route. But this one isn't working well at all. I'm in a lot worse shape physically then I was before I went to California. Now on top of the back pain, pain that shoots down my legs and my legs going numb on and off, every muscle in my arms, legs, back and neck hurt all the time. It says that muscle pain is a side effect from Lyrica, but it didn't start until a week after I got home, where as the other sides like fatigue, double vision, confusion, etc., that I had happened immediately. All but fatigue went away. So, I'm not sure exactly what's causing the muscle pain. I like your suggestion about the pain pump. I'm going to talk to my pain doc next month when I go for my appointment. I'm desperate to find something that will allow me to function without trying not to cry from pain. Thanks again for writing and for the advice.....Cheyenne

I started Suboxone a month ago and am down to 4mg a day which is huge considering I have four kids to deal with on top of that. ugh. love em but it is hard to detox with them all over me. I was on Methadone and had tapered down to 30mg a day. i have had 3 thoracic spine surgeries and am now fused from t-2 down to t-6. they were not a success but i am so sick of being a slave to Methadone. i traveled overseas and held on as tight as i could to my bag with the meds in it for fear of it being stolen and having to go to a hospital. i was also sick of that feeling i had in the AM of withdrawals. ok, so now that my boring history is out there let me get on to why i came here in the first place.......MY FREAKIN' CALF PAIN since i have been on Suboxone!!! my back and head and neck and hands and all the other parts of my body hurt too but my calves are the worst. i am actually ok all day then when about 8pm hits i am writhing in pain. i feel like a junkie moreso now than i did on Methadone. Does this crap go away once you are off Suboxone? i take nothing else now except this med. i take the Sub twice a day because when i only took it in the AM i would go thru withdrawals by the evening. i prop up my legs....no relief. i took a bath.....no relief. i got an amazing massage....no relief. i did try 800mg Motrin.....no relief. Makes me think Methadone was not as bad as i thought after having to deal with this!!! so is this pain a side effect of Suboxone too or just Lyrica? my calves do not look swollen....just major pain. It seems similar to what you are going thru.

I started Suboxone a month ago and am down to 4mg a day which is huge considering I have four kids to deal with on top of that. ugh. love em but it is hard to detox with them all over me. I was on Methadone and had tapered down to 30mg a day. i have had 3 thoracic spine surgeries and am now fused from t-2 down to t-6. they were not a success but i am so sick of being a slave to Methadone. i traveled overseas and held on as tight as i could to my bag with the meds in it for fear of it being stolen and having to go to a hospital. i was also sick of that feeling i had in the AM of withdrawals. ok, so now that my boring history is out there let me get on to why i came here in the first place.......MY FREAKIN' CALF PAIN since i have been on Suboxone!!! my back and head and neck and hands and all the other parts of my body hurt too but my calves are the worst. i am actually ok all day then when about 8pm hits i am writhing in pain. i feel like a junkie moreso now than i did on Methadone. Does this crap go away once you are off Suboxone? i take nothing else now except this med. i take the Sub twice a day because when i only took it in the AM i would go thru withdrawals by the evening. i prop up my legs....no relief. i took a bath.....no relief. i got an amazing massage....no relief. i did try 800mg Motrin.....no relief. Makes me think Methadone was not as bad as i thought after having to deal with this!!! so is this pain a side effect of Suboxone too or just Lyrica? my calves do not look swollen....just major pain. It seems similar to what you are going thru.

Thank you for taking the time to reply. I have currently worked my way down from 16mgs of suboxone a day to 2mgs a day. On the days the pain is intollerable I take my demerol. So far, I have taken oxy only twice. My pain management doc is currently setting me up for something called "Radiofrequency Neurolysis". They are shots into the injured facet joints. They are supposed to numb the affected nerves. Someone I know that had a fractured vertebre had this done. She said she could barely walk when she went in and could've danced out. I tried acupuncture for about 2 months but because I had to lay on my stomach, even though I had a pillow under it, it ended up causing me more pain. It has been helping my husband that has minor problems with his neck and knees. I'm hoping these shots work for me. I'm having them done under anesthesia because of what happened to me years ago during an epidural, but they can be done under local. You may want to seek out a pain doc to see if this might be something that could work for you. I wish you luck. I know how it feels to be physically addicted to pain killers and still living in pain. If these shots don't help me, I'm going to go back to a regular regimin of pain killers and screw the stigma. I'd rather be looked at as an addict that can function, than a poor soul that has to rely on family and friends for help with simple things.

Thank you for taking the time to reply. I have currently worked my way down from 16mgs of suboxone a day to 2mgs a day. On the days the pain is intollerable I take my demerol. So far, I have taken oxy only twice. My pain management doc is currently setting me up for something called "Radiofrequency Neurolysis". They are shots into the injured facet joints. They are supposed to numb the affected nerves. Someone I know that had a fractured vertebre had this done. She said she could barely walk when she went in and could've danced out. I tried acupuncture for about 2 months but because I had to lay on my stomach, even though I had a pillow under it, it ended up causing me more pain. It has been helping my husband that has minor problems with his neck and knees. I'm hoping these shots work for me. I'm having them done under anesthesia because of what happened to me years ago during an epidural, but they can be done under local. You may want to seek out a pain doc to see if this might be something that could work for you. I wish you luck. I know how it feels to be physically addicted to pain killers and still living in pain. If these shots don't help me, I'm going to go back to a regular regimin of pain killers and screw the stigma. I'd rather be looked at as an addict that can function, than a poor soul that has to rely on family and friends for help with simple things.

I had RF the day before I began Suboxone. It has helped a ton. I was under local because he wanted my feedback. It was nothing. I was still all drugged up but able to help him out. I am in pain now but i think it is from the Suboxone since I have never hurt all the way down to my pinky toe like I am now. I have also had epidural blocks and have had success. they dont get rid of all my pain but they help. I also found this woman who does this connective tissue massage that is so painful it makes me cry and come close to vomiting. no lie. but, it retrains the tissues that are so out of whack and i feel great for days afterwards. I am anxious to see if I'm able to tolerate the pain after i get off the Suboxone but if not i will definitely do the RF again. i have upper thoracic osteoarthritis after a stupid Navy doctor tried a chiropractic move on me and did it wrong then refused to run tests saying i was drug seeking. argh! So, it was too damaged by the time I found a new doctor and hence the decade of pain I've endured and drugs I did actually find and get physically addicted to. If I still feel pain though after this is all said and done I am breaking my drugs right back out and living life with as little pain as possible. I hope your RF works well for you!!! GOOD LUCK!!